Marble Floor Care and Maintenance Tips

Marble floors are no doubt a classy, elegant feature to any home, as they can provide beautiful color and illumination. They are also durable, and easy to clean, and can increase the value of your home, making them a practical choice for anyone undergoing home construction or renovation. Despite the numerous advantages to marble floors, they do require a few unique steps to ensure they are properly preserved. Read on to learn more about marble floor care and maintenance to keep your floors looking shiny, bold, and refined for years to come.

Prioritize Protection

The cliché saying goes that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The same is true for your marble floor tiles, as utilizing protection and prevention strategies can reduce stains, scratches, and more. Lay down rugs in high traffic areas, like hallways, closets, or front entrances. Provide a welcome mat outside that allows visitors to clean off their shoes before entering your home, reducing the amount of dirt and debris that can scratch your floors.

Clean with Care

Marble floors, like our Bardiglio Venatino marble, tend to be easier to clean than other surfaces, but they require a different type of care than carpet, wood, or even granite and limestone. Cleaning your marble floors with a dust mop at least once per week can keep your floors looking shiny and new, but avoid using mopping pads that are treated with chemicals that can damage your floors. Similarly, avoid using scrub brushes and textured pads on the surface. Instead, opt for soft cloths when cleaning up spills and wiping away other debris. Additionally, make sure you follow the more detailed cleaning advice below.

Take Care of Spills Immediately

Because marble is a hard surface, it can be easy to forget that it is also a porous one. Liquids, dirt, and other particles can get into your marble floors, like our Calacatta Caldia, and cause discoloration and staining if they are not removed immediately. Spills are inevitable, especially in a household with young kids, but they are less likely to leave behind discoloration when they are mopped up promptly after they occur.

Vacuum with Caution

Vacuuming can be quite a bit less taxing and more thorough than sweeping and mopping your floors before guests arrive, but vacuums carry their own risks when it comes to marble floor care and maintenance. Most vacuums are made with hard plastic parts, like wheels, rollers, and brushes that can scratch the surface of your marble floors.

Many vacuum companies have now created vacuums specially designed to work on marble floors, and this even includes robotic vacuums that can take much of the work out of cleaning your floors carefully but efficiently.

Avoid Acid and Abrasion

Acidic cleaning products, like lemon juice, vinegar, or other cleansers can scratch or create etching on your floors. Abrasive or textured substances, like scouring powder or liquid, or grout and tub cleaners should also be avoided for the same reasons. Surprisingly, cleaners formulated for granite floors are also too severe for marble flooring.

If you plan to use a floor cleaning product, find one that is soap-free and PH7 (neutral) when possible. Some manufacturers make a special marble floor cleaning solution as well, but make sure you follow the instructions carefully. As a general rule of thumb, you will have to wet your marble flooring with a bit of water, add the cleaning solution, rinse your floors thoroughly with water, and dry them carefully with a soft, nonabrasive cloth.

Seal on Schedule

One of the most effective ways to keep your marble floors looking great is by sealing them once every 12 months in heavy traffic areas. Periodically applying a sealant to your floors can keep moisture out of the marble and protect your floors from smudges and blemishes. If you can’t have this done professionally, work with an Arizona Tile representative to select a sealing product that would be ideal for your flooring and follow the manufacturer directions for application.

If you cannot remember how long it has been since you last sealed your floors, you can also pour a teaspoon of water on your floor to see if the water beads or let it sit for 20 minutes. After the time is up, wipe it away with a soft cloth. If a dark spot remains, it is time to reseal your floors.

In Summary

Caring for your marble flooring can feel a bit confusing at first, but it will not take long for homeowners to learn the do’s and do not’s of marble floor maintenance and care. The flooring experts at Arizona Tile can help you pick out the best marble flooring to suit your style and color needs, and we can provide you with more information about how to care for your marble floors.

If you have any further questions or inquiries, please contact us today. See what your home renovation can look like in the Arizona Tile Just Imagine Visualizer.